Elgar's music, full of the confidence of his time, was seen by Victorians as finally providing an English composer to rival the Germans.
Critical Reception
Britten's Our Hunting Fathers, Op.8, is considered one of his most creative, savage, and tender works, but also one of his more difficult pieces to perform, leading to its relatively rare appearances.
Performer Biography
Soprano Heather Harper shot to worldwide attention in 1962 by taking the soprano part in the world première of Britten's War Requiem with only two weeks' notice.
Compositional Technique
Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for string quartet and string orchestra, Op.47, is unusually scored for string quartet and orchestra, combined and contrasted in the manner of a concerto grosso.
Composition History
Benjamin Britten's Our Hunting Fathers, Op.8, was commissioned by the Norfolk and Norwich Triennial Festival in 1936 and was his first large work for orchestra.
Composer Biography
Edward Elgar, born into a middle-class family in the music business, grew up in musical surroundings and even played the violin in the orchestra at the Three Choirs Festival.
Performer Biography
Bernard Haitink, the conductor on this album, has held major positions including Chief Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
You might also enjoy...
Elgar: The Music Makers & Orchestral Works
Elgar, E.: Variations On an Original Theme / Cockaigne / Elegy / Introduction and Allegro (Orchestral Favourites, Vol. 4)
